Downloaded it earlier this year, can't remember the source. Some of the schedules would not tranlate well to this forum. I have it complete as a Word.doc. New law in France:
IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSLATION AND HAS NO LEGAL VALUE
Law of 22 June 1998 regarding technical and safety rules in establishments that organize the practice and teaching of recreational SCUBA diving
(various preliminary considerations regarding existing laws and applicable rules)
Art. 1. - Establishments that organize the practice or teaching of underwater diving using a Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) are subject to the technical and safety rules defined in the present law.
Art. 2. - Schedules I to IV of the present law define :
- qualification levels for divers, and equivalencies between certifications (Schedule I) ;
- instructor qualification levels (Schedule II) ;
- conditions for practicing diving in a natural environment (Schedules III a, III b) ;
- the contents of the emergency kit (Schedule IV).
Art. 3. - The practice of diving is placed under the responsibility of a Dive Director, physically present on the dive site, who decides on the characteristics of the dive and organizes its modalities. He/she ensures compliance with the rules defined in the present law.
Art. 4. - In a natural environment (open water), the Dive Director has at least the following qualifications :
- level 3 instructor, or ;
- level 5 diver, for recreational dives only
Recreational dives are defined as those that do not include any element of formal instruction
Art. 5. - When the dive occurs in a confined environment with a depth of less than 6 m, the Dive Director must have at least a level 1 instructor qualification. Under these conditions, the Dive Director can authorize certified level 1 divers to dive together, and certified level 4 divers to initiate non-divers.
Diving in confined environments with a depth of more than 6 m is subjected to the same rules as open water diving.
Art. 6. - A Dive Group is made up of several people who perform a dive together, for the same duration, at the same depth, and along the same path.
A Dive Team is a Dive Group with only two members.
Art. 7. - The Divemaster guides a Dive Group underwater. He/she is responsible for the manner in which the dive proceeds, and ensures that its characteristics are adapted to the local circumstances as well as to the level of competence of the divers.
The supervision of a Dive Group is entrusted to a Divemaster with the qualifications outlined in Schedule II, under the physical conditions outlined in Schedule III.
Divers over 18 years of age and with a certification of level 2 or higher can dive as a Group without a Divemaster, under the conditions defined in Schedule III.
Art. 8. - The following equipment is available at the dive site:
- communications equipment adequate to alert emergency services;
- a first aid kit whose minimal contents are defined in Schedule IV ;
- non-carbonated drinking water;
- a self-filling balloon fitted with a one-way valve and an oxygen reserve bag;
- a full tank of oxygen with sufficient capacity to administer treatment to a diver in case of an accident, fitted with a regulator and a hose adapted to the balloon;
- a spare tank of air with a regulator;
- an isothermic blanket;
- a way to recall a diver from the surface, when the dive is in open water from a boat ;
- if possible, an apparatus for sucking out mucus.
Additionally, each diver carries the following items:
- a notepad ;
- a set of tables allowing him/her to verify or re-calculate ascent parameters should the charateristics of the dive make this necessary .
The diving equipment must meet current regulations and be properly maintained.
Art. 9. - (immaterial)
Art. 10. - Except in confined water with a depth of less than 6 m, divers and Divemasters are each equipped with an inflatable system, using compressed air, that allows them to return to the surface and maintain themselves there, as well as the means to control the characteristics of their own dive and the collective ascent of the Dive Group.
In an open water environment, the Divemaster has a tank fitted with two outlets and two full regulators. Autonomous divers (i.e. those diving without a Divemaster) have equipement allowing them to share air without having to share a mouthpiece.
Art. 11. - Depending on their experience and certification, divers can move about in different zones:
- Shallow zone : 0 to 6 meters ;
- Median zone : 6 to 20 meters ;
- Deep zone : 20 to 40 meters.
In favorable material and technical conditions, the median and deep zones can be extended by up to 5 meters.
SCUBA diving on air is limited to a depth of 60 meters. This can be accidentally exceeded by no more than 5 meters.
If a diver in difficulty has to return under water, he/she has to be accompanied by another diver with the responsibility to assist him/her.
Schedule III fixes the zones into which divers are allowed as a function of their level of certification.
Art. 12. - A Dive Group containing beginners shall be confined to the Shallow zone. Near the end of a program of instruction leading to a level 1 certification, such a team can move into the Median zone under the responsibility of a Divemaster.
Art. 13. - A Dive Group containing divers with level 1 certification shall be confined to the Median zone, under the responsibility of a Divemaster. Near the end of a program of instruction leading to a level 2 certification, such a team can move into the Deep zone, under the responsibility of a qualified Instructor. .
Art. 14. - After proper training, the Dive Director can authorize divers over 18 years of age with a level 1 certification to dive as a group at a depth of no more than 10 meters, provided the following conditions are met:
- The dive area does not have currents, and the vertical visibility is at least equal to the depth of the water;
- No single point in the dive area is more than 30 meters away from a fixed holding point;
- The dive area is monitored from the surface by two individuals, of which one has at least a level 3 Instructor certification, and the other a level 4 diver certification; these individuals must be ready to intervene at any time, using a surface vessel;
- One of the supervisors must be ready to dive into the water at all times;
- The obligation to have a surface vessel does not apply to confined dive areas;
- One team of two supervisors shall not monitor more than five Dive Teams.
Art. 15. - Divers over 18 years of age with a level 2 certification are allowed, at the discretion of the Dive Director, to dive without supervision in the Median zone. If the Dive Group contains divers with both level 2 and level 3 certifications, it shall also remain confined to the Median zone.
Art. 16. - Divers with a certification of level 2 or higher are allowed to dive autonomously, at the discretion of the Dive Director. In the absence of a Dive Director, divers with a certification of level 3 or higher can dive as a group and choose the location, organization and parameters of their dive.
Art. 17. - The present law does not apply to free diving, archeological diving, cave diving, or competitive orientation diving.
Art. 18. - (This law replaces an earlier one from 1991)
Art. 19. - (Defines who is responsible for enforcing the law)
Paris, 22 June 1998.
SCHEDULE I : CERTIFICATION LEVELS AND EQUIVALENCE OF PREROGATIVES
This Schedule defines the skill levels of divers and the equivalence of the prerogatives assigned to certifications delivered by the FFESSM (the main French diving association) and the FSGT (a smaller association that promotes sport in general), those delivered by other organizations that participate in the Consultative Committee on Diving Education, and the CMAS international certificates.
Certifications must attest to the fact that their holders have acquired technical skills at least equivelent to those delivered by the FFESSM, and that these have been evaluated under similar conditions.
Instructors with a level 3 Instructor certification and affiliated with on of the organizations that participate in the Consultative Committee on Diving Education are allowed to deliver skills certificates after having performed one or more evaluation dives, organized within the spirit of the present law. Divers hilding such certificates obtain prerogatives equivalent to those defined in this Schedule, but limited to level 3 or below.
(NB: this makes it possible for divers holding C-cards from organizations not affiliated with CMAS to dive under conditions appropriate to their skill levels)
Translated by C. Victor Jongeneel, November 2001
